諺語 · a single proverb
石中有玉
What does 石中有玉 (shí zhōng yǒu yù) mean?
石中有玉 (shí zhōng yǒu yù) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "there is jade within the stone." In use it means: Hidden value exists inside rough, unpromising exteriors; what looks ordinary on the surface may contain something extraordinary. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Earth note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Snake.
Literally: "there is jade within the stone."
The reading
The prospector does not judge the rock by its skin. They break it open, or better, they learn to read the faint signals that say something is worth breaking open. The jade does not advertise. It waits for the person with enough patience and enough skill to look past the gray.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Common jade-carving and literary tradition
Sits beside
井底之蛙
jǐng dǐ zhī wā
Someone with an extremely narrow view of the world, who mistakes the small circle of sky above the well for the whole sky.
冰凍三尺，非一日之寒
bīng dòng sān chǐ, fēi yī rì zhī hán
Nothing deep-a skill, a habit, a ruin-forms overnight.
心急吃不了熱豆腐
xīn jí chī bù liǎo rè dòu fu
Impatience will not speed things up.
Keep reading
Return to the Proverb Pond to draw another of the eighty-seven, or hear one read aloud. Read the rest of its chapter in Humility & Self-Mastery, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Snake, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 石中有玉 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 石中有玉 (shí zhōng yǒu yù) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from Common jade-carving and literary tradition. It is living Chinese heritage, given here with per-character pinyin and its source so you can trust the line, not a phrase invented in English.
How do you pronounce 石中有玉?
In Mandarin it is shí zhōng yǒu yù. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 石中有玉 aloud in Mandarin.